Hostage
by Kayseetwin
Summary: Rory Gilmore, a foreign correspondent for CNN, is taken hostage alongside twelve others after a bombing of several international embassies in Lebanon. Her life depends on the cooperation of several major world powers. How will she, and her family back home, survive?
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Hello all! This is a story I've had in my head for a very long time. It's going to be brutal and may not be suitable for all audiences, so just letting you know ahead of time. It should have a happy ending, although there's going to be a lot of room for you guys to give input, especially in a romantic sense. I may switch this to M, as later this will be getting messy. Please note that this is not intended to offend anyone and any relation to current international conflicts is unintended. Thanks, and as always, review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, just a humble fan.**

* * *

"This is Fox News, reporting to you live from the volatile streets of Lebanon. I'm Amy Fields and I'm currently filming from the heart of Beirut, where several international embassies were targeted earlier today by what appears to be a radical terrorist group. According to witnesses, explosions occurred throughout the embassy district, leaving over 72 people dead and many more missing. The embassies hit include: Spain, France, the United States, England, Germany and Russia."

[The camera pans out, revealing the wreckage of several massive explosions. In the background, there are wounded men and women being carried out of the remains by Lebanese soldiers. There is also a large area blocked off to the media where the bodies of the dead are covered by thin white sheets.]

"According to Lebanese officials, the supposed radical terrorists have been building up to a full-scale attack, but few could have predicted the enormity of their actions. While there are still very few details being given about how those involved could have set up the bombs or what their motives are, it's clear that this was a message meant for the international community."

[Fields pauses in her report to listen to her headset before nodding and turning back to the camera.]

"I've just received word that President Salim Trad will be holding an emergency press conference today in just an hour. Stay with us as we cover the press conference and discuss the grisly events that took place."

[The network switches back over to the main newsroom, where several key guests analyze the effects of the attack on the international community, specifically on the United States and France. Although both embassies were bombed, they had previously held a pro-rebel stance, hoping for a new government in the politically devastated country. After almost an hour of commentary, the network switches back to Amy Fields, who is now stationed in the conference area of the Lebanese government's headquarters.]

"Welcome back. I'm Amy Fields with Fox News, reporting live from Lebanon. We're currently waiting for a statement from President Salim Trad about the horrific bombings of several international embassies, including the United States. And here he comes now."

[A brief introduction occurs before President Trad begins to address the events of the day.]

"What happened today was an incredible blow. Not only to Lebanon, but also to the entire international community. It is a terrible shame that places of peace are now targets for terrorism and hate."

"In regards to those behind the attack, we have very few clues and-"

[A projector is suddenly rolled down behind the Lebanese officials without warning. It is obvious the President is not in control of what is going on and attempts to stop its descent. A grainy video appears on screen in a live feed from an unknown location. We can see several heavily armed men standing at attention. Someone steps in front of the camera and as it focuses we see a man in a nondescript military uniform. He begins to address the camera in Lebanese, although a translation to English is provided by Fox News on screen.]

"Greetings. I am ex-General Abdel of the Lebanese military. As I'm sure you have gathered, I am the one who bombed the embassies, alongside my friends here." [He points to the men holding machine guns beside him.]

"I know today has probably been very stressful for you today, so I will spare you any games. I am currently in possession of thirteen hostages from various countries of the embassies hit today. If you wish to see your people returned to you alive, you will force Trad to step down and will support a new leader judged to be fair and true by the righteous people who stand before you now. If you refuse, each hostage will be killed in front of the entire world, and if I haven't made it clear, we can get to you anywhere and at any time. Now, let's introduce our hostages."

[The camera is turned to a different area of the room where thirteen hostages are tied to chairs. Each has a bag over his or her head. Abdel walks over and begins to unmask them one at a time. As he does, the hostage in question says their name and country. It is obvious they have been previously instructed on what to do.]

"Elizabeth Sanchez, Spain."

"Josh Robarts, Spain."

"Emilee Hersh, France."

"Jerome Hersh, France."

"Hugo Brennan, Britain."

"Louis Thompson, Britain."

"Ashley Shep, Britain."

"Mark Davis, United States."

"Tiffany Miller, United States."

"Rory Gilmore, United States."

"Viktor Kozar, Russia."

"Diana Aristov, Russia."

"Paul Klein, Germany."

[After the hostages are unveiled, Abdel begins to toy with the hostages. He first stops at Elizabeth and leers, then moves on to the very pregnant Emilee, who is married to Josh. Abdel begins to rub her stomach, causing Josh to strain against his bonds in an attempt to protect his wife. He is quickly smacked with the butt of a machine gun by one of the guards. Once more, Abdel moves down the line. He stops again in front of Louis Thompson, a soldier from Britain, still dressed in uniform. Thompson spits in Abdel's face, muttering something about "fuckin' terrorists." He is shot in the head from behind, causing some of the hostages to scream. Ashley Shep begins to cry.]

"As you can see, we have no tolerance for any disrespect."

[Abdel once more turns to the camera.]

"You have two months to complete my assignment. Every week that goes by that you fail to meet the demands given, a hostage will die. After these, there will be more. I suggest you hurry."

[The screen goes dark, and the projector rolls up. The auditorium is silent, waiting for the President's reply. He clears his throat, his face ashen and speaks quietly into the microphone.]

"To the families of the fallen, the injured and the taken, our thoughts and prayers go to you."

[Trad exits the stage, leaving hundreds of reporters and civilians screaming questions after him.]


	2. Chapter One

**Author's note:** **Yes, two chapters in one day, in one hour! I can't believe it either. Just so you know, this story will explore a lot of different views. It'll show Lorelai and Luke and the town, all of Rory's many loves, Rory herself and even some characters you may not expect. Try not to get too impatient with me, because it's all important, although I'm sure most of you would rather know what's happening with Rory every chapter. Hope you like this installment, and please review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, just a humble fan.**

* * *

Sobbing.

That's the first thing Rory Gilmore hears as she awakens from her previous state of unconsciousness. A strange scent fills her nose, dark and damp. As she struggles to wake up, she realizes that her sight is virtually gone, blocked by a hood or bag of some sort. She can't tell who is crying next to her, but she can tell it's a woman.

Suddenly, she is overwhelmed by images. Rory remembers sitting with a fellow American, a Marine by the name of Mark. They were talking about the growing unrest in Lebanon, especially in many of the more impoverished areas, when they heard an explosion just outside of the U.S. embassy. Both had stood and rushed to the window, where they could see the smoldering remains of the British embassy. Rory had turned to Mark in horror, just in time to see a masked man knock him out with a gun, before she herself had been hit.

She had remained unconscious for a time, before being thrown back into consciousness by her body hitting concrete. Her shoulder was at that point dislocated, causing her once more to faint.

Now, she was again awake. The pain in her shoulder was intense and her head was throbbing, but she could tell that it was a manageable sort of pain, and realized that she was unlikely to faint again. For a time, she struggled to speak, her voice sore from not having spoken in hours.

"Hello," Rory was able to rasp out.

The sobbing stopped and she heard a woman gasp.

"Hello? Oh my god, there's someone else here? Please help, I'm tied up and I can't see and I don't know what's going on. Please, my name is Ashley, I'm from Britain and I was working at the embassy when someone hit me. I want to go home. Please, please help me."

Ashley's voice was desperate, and Rory's heart longed to help the scared woman, not crush her, but there was little Rory herself could do.

"I'm sorry, I can't…I'm tied here too," came Rory's apologetic reply. "I'm Rory. Rory Gilmore. I'm a reporter for CNN and the same thing happened to me. Someone hit Mark and… Mark! Mark, are you there?"

Her call seemed to echo around the room, something Rory noted with the practiced ease of someone who had spent numerous trips in blindfolds led around by potential sources. It indicated they were in a small room, which had Rory worried. Small meant harder to find, and harder to find in this situation meant trouble.

A man's cough startled her from her musings. "Ror…Rory?"

"Mark, Mark, I'm here! Can you see me? Can you see where we are?"

His replies dashed her hopes as he informed her that no, he couldn't either.

Slowly but surely, the other captives awoke. Three soldiers, a fellow reporter and numerous representatives from international embassies helped complete their group, all tied up and unable to see. Each had similar stories to Rory's. They had been hit, tied up and placed here with no explanation as to why.

"Does anyone know if whoever took us will give us water? Please…my wife Emilee, she's pregnant." This plea came from Jerome, Emilee's husband. Emilee and Jerome were both from the French embassy, although Emilee was in her third trimester of pregnancy. The fear in his voice was tangible.

A gruff voice answered, harsh but truthful. "None of us know shit boy. We'd love to help your wife but we're all fuckin' tied up. We haven't heard from the bastards who took us and god knows when we will."

The voice was that of Louis Thompson, a soldier from Britain who already seemed resigned to the fact that they were going to die. His melancholy views had already made Ashley burst into tears twice and Rory could feel her hope draining away.

Abruptly, a door slammed. The unknown presence in the room made every hostage in the room tense, and Rory swore she could hear Ashley sniffle.

"In a few minutes, your covers will be removed. If you scream, you will be shot. If you move, you will be shot. If you do anything that we do not tell you to do, you will be shot. I hope I've made myself clear," came the menacing, heavily accented voice by the door. "When you are revealed, you will state your full name and the country you were working for prior to your capture. That is all."

Once more, the door slams. The hostages remain silent, each too afraid to speak.

Ten minutes later, the door is reopened. Rory can hear the sound of someone setting up equipment, although for what, she doesn't know. A man states aloud that they're ready to go, and another voice counts down from three. Abdel begins to speak.

As Rory listens to the instructions being given, she can feel her heart sinking. There was no chance that they would be released if those were the terms. No country would agree to it, not in their right minds. Their only chance was to be rescued, which seemed all the more unlikely.

Finally, Rory's hood is taken off. She blinks, trying to see into the barely lit room, and notes the camera pointed at her face. Rory raises her chin and tries to seem brave, but her tear-stained face will probably give her away. Her eyes meet Abdel's and he winks at her, causing her to recoil away from his look.

When Louis is shot, she can't help but let out a terrified whimper. There is blood on the ground and she can't help but stare at it. She knows that she wants to run, she wants to scream, but the fact that she could be next stops her, barely. Instead she hangs her head low and tries to pray for the first time in years.

* * *

Lorelai is at the Dragonfly Inn when she gets the phone call. Babette is screaming into the phone about turning on the news, that something horrible has happened and Lorelai has to see it. Ignoring the pit of dread manifesting in her stomach, Lorelai races to the nearest TV, a tiny thing shoved into a corner in the kitchen. Ignoring Sookie's questioning looks, she turns it on, tapping her foot impatiently as it boots up and attempts to connect to cable. Lorelai is finally able to switch it to a news station, Fox News (a station she would normally avoid like the plague). At first, Lorelai is unable to understand the importance of it. A man in a crappy live feed is talking about politics, so what? But then the camera switches around and all she can see is her daughter's blue eyes staring back at her. Her sweet, innocent daughter who loves to read and eat junk food, her best friend, is tied to a chair with a gun pointed to her head. Lorelai collapses and Sookie, who was paying attention in the background, begins to hyperventilate.

Lorelai's daughter is a hostage.


End file.
